1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention is concerned with a theft resistant condiment dispenser for dispensing such condiments as salt and pepper.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
Restaurants are often bothered with the theft of salt and pepper shakers. A typical salt and pepper shaker is easily removed from the table and can be placed readily in a pocket or purse. While the value of any individual salt or pepper shaker is normally relatively small, the continuous theft of these salt and pepper shakers can greatly add to the expense of a restaurant.
The Stickles et al U.S. Pat. No. 2,174,142 shows an arrangement for discouraging the theft of a salt and pepper shaker. In this device, there is a container on which a condiment dispenser is placed, this container being screwed to the table top. The condiment dispenser is in turn connected to the container by a retractable tape which is normally supported by a retractable reel. While the Stickles et al arrangement would hinder the theft of salt and pepper shakers, it has several drawbacks. In the first place, the overall support is rigidly fastened to the table and cannot be moved with respect to it. Furthermore, the fact that the condiment dispensers are secured to a tape which is subject to being rewound by a spring makes it more difficult to maneuver the condiment dispensers. In addition, the two condiment dispensers are integral with each other and it is very difficult to control which condiment will be dispensed.
While there have been numerous arrangements developed for preventing the theft of valuable devices, such as suitcases, radios and so forth, none of these are particularly applicable to preventing the theft of condiment dispensers.